Returning Home to Maycomb
by RietroFan42
Summary: Scout is now sixteen and has changed a lot since she was nine. Dill left when she was eleven and hasn't seen her since. What happens when they see each other five years later? This is my first mockingbird fic, Enjoy!
1. Chapter One

AN: I normally write for X-Men Evolution, but hey! I'm flexible! I was so disappointed to see that there are hardly any romance stories under To Kill a Mockingbird that were even close to being updated let alone finished. So I decided last night that I would write one of my own. This is going to be about Scout when she's a teenager. Please don't yell at me, this is only a first chapter, and they will get better as they go on, but I only know what I'm going to write about in the first few couple chapters and after that I may have some writers block. But don't worry, fellow readers, I will make it my duty to not let it stay for too long and to get on with the story. So anyway... here it is. Enjoy! (And review?)

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Chapter One

Jean Louise Finch

She was sitting on her bed, the one the she has had for all of her life, looking into an old box adorning frayed edges and a ripped cover. She didn't know what had possessed her to open it in the first place- it had been happily resting among the dust bunnies and redbugs for a matter of years. But shortly ago she had found it in herself to reach underneath her bed frame and pull it from the far corner.

It seemed so long ago when she had last seen these memories.

Inside it laid many important articles of her not-so-distant childhood. Among them were the gifts from Boo Radley: the Indian-head coins, the soap dolls, the broken watch and knife, and even one of the gum wrappers. These had originally been in the hands of her brother Jem for keeping, but once he had reached the solemn age of eighteen, he had given them to her for a birthday present. They were some of the best gifts that she could have received. The best one though would have been Dill.

Also there in the box were a few other items, not as important as others were. A smile came across her face as she picked it up. It was an autograph, written by Jem Finch himself. The paper was old and the words were faded, but she knew what it said. This was given to her when Jem and gone into eighth grade and coach said that he had enough weight to be on the team that year. Jem didn't play much, but he still never let them forget that he had made football. As a part of his new-found ego, he had written his name on a small piece of paper and gave it to her, saying that the day he became a great football star and even appeared on some of the picture shows is the day that she'd be mighty glad to have his autograph. She said that he was drawing himself higher up than he should be drawn, but nothing she said could get him to quiet his idea of fame for even a moment.

She shuffled through the rest of the objects, searching for one with some amount of value. She pasted over childhood presents, a small box of bugs that she had collected when she was ten, and other nondescript pieces. But soon she found something worth taking out and looking at.

It was hiding beneath a diary that she had gotten back when she felt like writing about her life. That phase only lasted two days.

She picked up the book and gazed ant what was there. It was a key.

Flashback:

Scout was eleven and it was the end of the summer. School was starting up again in two days time. She had just finished helping Calpurnia clean up in the kitchen and was now waiting on her porch swing for Dill to come. She knew that Dill was leaving after the summer was over, like usual, but she also knew that this time, Dill wasn't coming back. His mother and new father were moving away from Meridian in an effort to leave behind everything and start over in a new place. This included starting over with Dill. He wasn't to come back to Maycomb on summer break anymore; his parents wanted him home so that they could become more like a family. Dill had been happy about this, but also very sad that he was leaving Maycomb behind.

Scout was upset, too. Summer was never the same without Dill. That was his time. She looked forward to it every year. But she also knew that he wanted a family and that this was his chance to get it.

She heard someone walking up the porch steps and looked up.

"Hello, Miss Finch," he said with a grin.

"Hey, Dill," she replied. She sounded tired, but both of them knew that it was because she was upset about him leaving and that she couldn't do anything about it. There was no way around it- Dill was leaving.

He came over and sat on the swing next to her. "Scout." She turned her head so that she was now looking out into the street at her neighbors. _I wonder if Boo is watching this,_ she thought. "I gotta leave in a little while."

Scout nodded. "I know."

They sat in silence for a moment. "I got you a present."

She turned to him and smiled. "Really?"

"Yessim. And I got it right her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large key. From the way it looked, it could have actually worked in someone's door.

Scout looked perplexed. "Dill, whats I'm s'posed to do with that?"

"Yer not s'posed to do anythin' with it." He reached over and put it into her hand. "It'sa key to my heart."

"How the hell do you have a key for ya own heart?" she asked.

"Saw it in a picher once. The man loved the woman right much and he said to her that she'd always have the key ta his heart. Here's my key." He pointed to the piece of rusting metal in her hand.

"This is right silly, Dill," she added. "But I like it. Thank you."

"You're always welcome." Dill was looking at her and Scout was looking back. "I's better get goin'. Aunty will wanta have me home so she can take me ta the train."

She watched as Dill got up and started walking down the steps. "Okay. Bye, Dill."

Dill was all the way down the steps before he realized that he had forgotten something. He ran back up and faced Scout. In one quick motion, he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the lips.

But this wasn't like the normal kisses. This one had something else added into it, maybe the feeling of leaving, that made it that much more sweet. They stood there pressing there lips together, both knowing that when they let go they'd have to say good bye forever. The kiss was longer than they usually were and held more meaning to Scout than all of the other kisses put together. Finally they stepped back for each other.

"Bye," Dill said, and with that he hoped down the porch steps and ran to his aunt's house.

Scout stared after him all the way until he disappeared around the back. She could hear his screen door slam after him as he entered the house.

"Bye," she said, but nobody was there except the wind.

End Flashback:

That was five years ago. Scout was now sixteen. After Dill had left, she had been upset for the next whole month, and during that summer she had thought about him constantly, waiting for him to one day show up and tell her that he was staying once again.

Once school started the next year she had given up on him.

That was when she had put his key in the box and shoved it underneath the bed. She didn't want to look at it anymore. And now, this was the first time that she had pulled out that box and looked at what was inside for four years, not including two years ago when she had briefly taken it out and threw the gifts from Boo in there.

Scout sighed and put the key back in its place and replaced the box back into its post under the bed. She wondered how many years would pass until she would open that box up again.

She got up and gazed at herself in her mirror on her way into the kitchen. The person that looked back was not the Scout from Dill's time- after a few years she had realized that overalls weren't doing do well for you new-found curves and decided to switch to dresses. Nothing fancy, but just something that would hug her differently than her overalls normally would. After that milestone, she had grown up mentally and decided to start acting like the lady that she was. She was definitely no Miss Stephanie, but she had discarded her old ways and started going to Aunt Alexandra's meetings more frequently and consulted Miss Maudie on more womanly topics. She had also grown accustomed to dressing her hair more often than not. She had indeed grown out of Scout and moved into the world of Jean Louise Finch.

Scout headed her way into the kitchen and found that it was no surprise to her to hear the ruckus that Aunt Alexandra and Calpurnia were making in there. After all, tomorrow was an important day.

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AN: I am so evil to leave you that cliffhanger. What is going on the next day? Will Scout ever see Dill again? What do people think about this new Scout? Why is Aunt Alexandra still there in the Finch household? All of these questions and more will be answered later on in! Review and it makes me write faster!


	2. Chapter Two

AN: Sorry for such the long wait, my schedule is pretty busy. I'm so happy that you guys love this so much! Not to mention that I got my first flame! Awesome! Anyway, hope you guys like it!

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Chapter Two

Homecoming

It was early. The sun was up shining brilliantly in the spring sky, although hidden by a single rogue cloud. Through her open window came the warm breeze of early May and the soft chirping of the mockingbirds. And as if by the grace of God the cloud moved westward, unveiling the sunlight. This found its way through her bedroom window and came to rest upon her face, awaking her from the brightness. Scout's eyes fluttered open gently, but clamped shut again once the sun suddenly blinded her. Leaning forward and slowly opening her eyes to gradually adjust to the light, she became aware of the morning. She could hear clinking of pans and the gay sounds of breakfast on a Sunday morning, along with the sweet scent of fried sausages and eggs. Still slightly groggy, she pushes her legs out from the covers and onto the floor, wiped sleep from her eyes, and managed to stand up and shake out her tired limbs. After a quick brush through her hair and washing her face, she made her way downstairs into the kitchen.

"Mornin' Scout," Cal called over her shoulder as she entered the room. Aunt Alexandra was slicing a loaf of bread while Jem, looking as if he had been awake for some time already, was sipping a cup of strong coffee.

Scout answered her quietly. "Mornin' everyone." Jem nodded at her while Aunty looked up from her task and smiled at her comfortably. Aunt Alexandra had left for some time after the incident at Halloween a few years back, but not until she had made certain that Jem would be alright so as not to leave her brother with caring for Jem and the aftereffects of the trial. She felt that she was unable to mold Scout into the person that Aunty wanted her to be and that if Scout was ever to become a lady, then she would do so on her own accord. But she had returned quickly enough when Scout got older and had decided on her own that with her new figure and grace to give being a lady a try. The moment Aunty heard about this she left her husband and came in to live with Atticus once more.

Things have changed about Alexandra. She came again for a main reason to harvest Scout into feminism, but without the same urgency and superiority as before. They created a mutual relationship of friends, Scout growing into another woman in the house. Aunty and Cal had also reached to an understanding among them, so that Alexandra no longer wished to fire her as she saw that Cal was in fact a healthy addition to the household.

And now Aunty was here to help with today's arrangements.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Aunty asked her routinely.

Scout shrugged. "Whatever you lot are making is fine with me." She sat down across from her brother and looked at him quizzically. "Jem, are you alright? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were mighty tired, you're so quiet."

"He's just getting nervous, that's all," answered Cal with a smirk. "Startin' to sink in, aye? After today, you'll be a married man."

"Marriage'll do that to ya," Aunty replied. "I remember how I felt when I was marryin' your uncle-"

"Please, Aunty, we've heard it before," Jem said. "And I'm alright. Just nervous, like you said." He looked down at his coffee with a little more liveliness and stirred it briskly before taking a large swig of it.

Scout asked, "Where's Atticus?"

"Oh, your father's just in town talking to the Reverend. He left just before you woke up. Said that he's makin' certain about the celebration afterwards. My, who knew that he'd get so worked up about a wedding." Cal spooned two cooked eggs onto a plate and placed it in front of Scout. She then poured some milk into a glass and set that before her also.

"Thank you, Cal." With that, Scout started eating. After a short while she asked, "What time should we be at the church, Aunty?"

"Just before noon," she said, having sat down and starting her meal as well. "But our Jem here needs to be there a whole hour before we do. And lookin' at the time, it's best you started gettin' goin'. Don't wanna be late to your own wedding, do ya?" she added with a small grin.

"You're probably right, I'll be upstairs." He got up from the table and left the room. The sounds of his feet treading up the stairs could be heard from the kitchen.

Breakfast continued until the rest of the ladies decided that they'd best get going as well. Scout went up to the second floor and bathed. Afterwards while her hair was drying in the curlers she had set her hair in, she changed into her dress. It was simple, but charming. It was a pale blue spring dress, made of soft cotton, that ended at her knees and hugged her curves. The sleeves were short and flowed down her arms while the bottom hem also fluttered with movement. The entire outfit gave an air of pure brilliance. She took her hair out of the rollers and watched as each clump of long brown hair fell and settled softly onto her shoulders. She was definitely not the same Scout as before. The sixteen-year-old Scout had poise, grace, and a beauty that one could only see in its entirety when they truly looked inside and learned about herself, her flaws, her strengths, and her attributes. Not saying that she wasn't attractive, for she was, just not as obvious as others were. But when one saw her for who she really was, she was golden. And that's exactly how one certain person thought of her.

After dressing her hair and pinching her cheeks, there was only one thing left. She reached for a small, intricate box lying on her dresser. Here lied her mother's pearls. It only contained a single necklace stringed with them along with a set of matching earrings and a bracelet. These belonged to her mother.

She never dared to wear them before ever since Atticus had given them to her the same year that Jem had given her Boo's gifts. She couldn't do it. Scout didn't remember her mother very well, hardly at all, but her belongings brought along with them a holiness, something that couldn't be misused. But she knew that her mother would smile when she knew that her only daughter was wearing them on the day that her only son was getting married.

After placing the jewelry on gingerly, she once again gazed at herself in the mirror. The pearls accented her dress well, adding something more to her. She looked very much like someone else, someone important from her past.

The rest of the ladies were ready and waiting when Scout reached the landing. Aunt Alexandra smiled as she watched her descend the stairs, remembering her sister-in-law fondly. Scout had turned into quite a fine young lady.

The three of them walked to the church, Jem having been picked up by Atticus in his car after his discussion with the reverend. The warm May day was perfect, sun shining with a slight breeze that rippled Scout's dress and teased her hair. They passed their neighbors, Miss Maudie probably already at the church by now. They passed an old house and seeing it once again brought despair into Scout's heart. That was Dill's Aunt Rachel's house, unkempt and decaying. Aunt Rachel had caught sick and died just two years before. Scout was unable to attend her funeral; she didn't know if Dill had come either.

After that they rounded the corner and neared the Radley Place. She knew that inside, Boo was most likely watching them heading to the church, knowing that he was unable to watch one of his children getting married.

How both Aunt Rachel and Boo would have loved to come and watch the ceremony.

Finally they reached the church and entered it solemnly. They found Atticus up by the small alter and made their way over to him. He smiled as he saw them, and gazed at Scout when she arrived next to him.

"You look beautiful today, Scout," he told her. "Just like your mother." Scout smiled too.

"Thank you, Atticus."

Friends and family continued to enter the establishment merrily. After a little small talk and shared excitement, the ceremony began.

The Reverend began with a few words and the music could be heard radiating from the ancient organ in the corner. Everyone stood and turned to watch the maid-of-honor arrive with the bride and her father.

Jem's wife-to-be was a schoolgirl in the same grade as Jem. Jem was a heartbreaker in high school, a wanted reward among many of the girls. But none of them meant as much to him as when he met Sheila Clemmens. She was beautiful, but she was also witty and intelligent and loved Jem as much as he loved her. He went to speak to her parents after graduating from high school and they gave him their blessing whole-heartedly. She accepted when he proposed.

And now they were getting married. It was plain to see that Jem's face lit up when he saw her in her elegant white dress, beaming next to his best man, another school friend that he had met in high school by the name of Daniel.

Mr. Clemmens handed Jem his girl and the Reverend took up his place again. But before turning around, Scout noticed something in the back, something... white? A tall man's head was in the way of the rest of the figure and the congregation was already now facing toward the wedding, so Scout was forced into turning back toward Jem, ending her inspection.

The ceremony went on flawlessly, watching the two people exchanging vows and promises of a happily ever after. With every minute Scout's curiosity increased about what she had seen before the wedding. Finally it ended, Jem and Shelia walking back down the aisle together and the crowd applauding the couple. Scout turned once more toward the back to continue her investigation, but she was unable to locate what she had witnessed earlier. She gave up, telling herself that she was only imagining something that she wanted to be there, and joined everyone else in the celebration following the wedding in the church's reception hall.

After the endless pictures and congratulations, Scout had wearied of it all and retired to the ledge beside the outside steps for a breath of fresh air and room to think. That was until a figure followed her outside.

"Hello, Jean Louise," a voice drawled in her ear. Scout turned to find Cecil Jacobs looming next to her. Disgust filled her.

"My name is Scout."

"I like your full name better."

"Who invited you?" she answered contemptuously. Over the years they had not acquired the relationship that Cecil had wished for, but she was perfectly fine in loathing him.

"Jem did. What, you're not excited to see me? I'm so hurt." He smirked at her. Something about him always frightened her. She could feel his eyes roaming over her attire. "My my, you look mighty fine today."

She repositioned herself that allowed him a not so extensive view of herself. He always seemed somewhat sleazy as he grew older. "Leave me alone, Cecil Jacobs."

He reached over and placed his hands on either side of the ledge that she was sitting on. "What will you do if I don't?"

She was just about to kick him away from her when a voice called out and startled them both, Cecil jumping away from Scout.

"Hey, Scout!"

She turned to face the owner of the voice. She didn't recognize him. He was a boy, about her age and height, slightly built and tanned. He was wearing a suit. Was he at the wedding? She looked at his head, a huge smile slapped across his face and a head full of blond hair-- something came to her. Could it be?

"Dill?" He smiled at her once more as he made his way down the steps toward her. That smile told her everything that she needed to know. Her eyes widened and a smile formed across her face.

"Dill!" She leapt off the ledge and ran to him, embracing him in a strong hug. "Oh my, Dill, is that really you?"

After some time they stepped back and looked at each other. He changed so much, but the person looking back at her was definitely Dill.

"Why are you here? It's been so long!" she asked him joyously.

"I know, but Jem insisted that I came. He wanted it to be a surprise." Now that the euphoria wore off, she examined him. Aging had definitely stolen away most of his awkwardness and appearance. Jem had told her not long ago that he had heard that Dill got a job working on a boat on the Mississippi, so that explained his stronger figure and slightly tanned skin. He was no longer pale and puny but taller and more defined. He had grown into a very handsome young man. Or at least in Scout's opinion he did.

In return Scout knew that she had changed immensely also and that the Scout Dill was gazing at was not the same that he had left behind. Scout wasn't paying attention to him, but she did notice that Cecil had stalked away from the reunion.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe you're here in Maycomb!" She grabbed him once more into a tight hug. Dill rested his face in her hair.

"I know, it's been too long."

She pulled back away and gently slapped him on the arm. "What the hell took so long?"

"Why, miss Jean Louise Finch, I see that you still have the language that I had left behind," he said with a smirk.

"And I also see that you have found a new attitude," she added just as playfully. He laughed.

"Well, people change. So have you I see."

She broke apart from him and twirled slowly. "You like?" she asked with a smile.

He grinned. "You know I do. It's very different though. I'd've never guessed."

"Like you said, people change." She smirked at him.

"Well well, you made it." They turned to watch Jem trotting down the steps. "Glad to see you, Dill. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has. And congratulations. I would've never known that you'd be married this early." He raised his eyes knowingly.

"You know how it is." They shared in a brotherly hug as Scout changed the subject.

"So where are you staying?"

They stepped away and returned their attention to Scout. "Jem invited me to room with him."

"In their new house? That's not how it is. It's their first night in it, we should let them be. Stay with me, Atticus will be more than welcome to let you." Scout wouldn't let Dill stay with Jem and his new wife so soon after getting married. Even she knew that they needed some time alone together.

Dill didn't object to this. "Well, I'm dandy with it if Jem doesn't mind."

"Go right ahead. Scout's got a point, anyhow. It's not everyday that she gets one of those."

Scout tuck out her tongue at him. Some things never changed.

"Well, I best be goin' to talk to Atticus then. See ya'll inside later." Dill smiled at them both before making his way up to the building.

Jem watched Scout. "You like my surprise?"

Scout beamed. "Oh yessim. I've missed him so much."

"I know. I figured it about time you two gettin' back together. It's been too long."

Scout nodded. "Yes, it has..." Her voice trailed off as she thought about how much she had missed Dill.

Jem noticed this. "Is there somethin' I should know about?"

Scout didn't understand the meaning behind these words. "No, why?"

Jem just nodded. "Oh nothin'. Jus' wonderin'." Scout didn't catch what he had said. He knew what how much Dill meant to her, more than Scout knew herself. He had watched then growing up. There was something that was there, just waiting to blossom. On their way back inside, Jem muttered to himself.

"Wonder how long it'll take."

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AN: I know that this is confusing, and part of it is because I'm not in the mood to proofread, but just think outside the box for some of it. That was fun to write, although it dragged on a little bit. You don't know how hard it is to think like you're back in the 30's. I'm too modern to think of genuine-sounding dialogue, so make it up yourself. Well anyway, enjoy and review!


	3. author's note

Hey readers! RietroFan42 here. It's been so long since I last updated and I'm sorry, my life is so busy that I never have time to myself anymore, and I hate leaving you like this. Since it has been so long, I have forgotten my ideas and lost the style of the novel, so before I begin writing again I need to reread the book and come up with new ideas. But I promise you, dear readers, that when I find time for myself, that time will be spent on rereading and planning. I do hope to someday finish this story. I'm also thinking about changing the story so that it is in first person, but I haven't decided yet. Any ideas? Also, I might hold back updating until I have finished the story because I like to let it sit for a while before editing it. I want the version you read to be the best version there is, not post it then look back and regret how I wrote it. I can tell you, when I start writing again, rewriting the first chapters will be my first move. The plot won't change, it will just be better written. If anyone has ideas, I'll be glad to hear them, but I can't guarantee that I'll use them. Even if I don't use them, they might help stimulate some ideas of my own. Believe me when I say that I truly want to give you guys this story to read! I love writing, but sports and school take up so much of my time. I really do promise that this story will be finished, it just might take a while longer than I had originally hoped. In the meantime, enjoy some more fanfiction, there is some great stuff out there, and don't get discouraged if this story isn't updated any time soon. IT WILL COME! Thank you so very much for reading my humble piece of work and responding as you have been. It motivates me a lot when I read your comments. READ ON, FANFICTION LOVERS, READ ON!!! (name the slogan that I got that from)


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